What Is A QEI?

What a QEI Actually Is

A QEI is a Qualified Elevator Inspector: a person who has met the qualification requirements for inspecting elevators and related conveyances against the applicable safety codes. The credential is the NAESA Qualified Elevator Inspector certification, and it is tied to the ASME QEI-1 standard, which sets out how elevator inspectors are qualified.

The acronym is shared by several unrelated credentials in other industries and even elsewhere in the elevator world. This article covers only the NAESA Qualified Elevator Inspector credential. If you have seen "QEI" attached to a different certifying body, a services company, or a technician credential, those are separate programs with their own requirements. For the full terminology breakdown, see our explainers on what QEI stands for and the meaning of QEI.

Who Issues the Credential

NAESA International, the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities, administers the QEI certification. NAESA publishes the required-codebook list, runs the application and approval process, schedules examinations, and handles recertification. It also offers a QEI Training Course and Certification Exam as a combined event; the announced offering was held in Hanover, Maryland, November 9-13, 2026.

Because the exam is open-book and code-driven, the issuer's required-codebook list is effectively your syllabus. The list applies to examinations taken after March 1, 2026, and it names specific editions of each reference. Later announced reference changes (slated for March 2027) are a separate matter and do not alter the 2026 scope discussed here.

What a Qualified Elevator Inspector Does

An elevator inspector verifies that installed equipment complies with the adopted safety codes and that it operates safely. That means examining equipment in the field against code requirements, interpreting which code applies to a given installation (new versus existing), and documenting findings so owners and authorities can act on them.

The credential is built around that daily reality. Candidates are expected to look up and apply code language quickly and accurately, not recite it from memory. That is why the exam allows references and why code navigation skills matter as much as raw knowledge.

• New installations: checking equipment against the safety code for elevators and escalators.
• Existing installations: applying the code written for equipment already in service, which differs from the new-equipment code.
• Specialty equipment: platform lifts, stairway chairlifts, and construction-site personnel hoists have their own standards.
• Electrical and component systems: wiring requirements and suspension, compensation, and governor systems.

If you are weighing career value, our ROI analysis of the QEI certification looks at that question in more depth.

The Nine Reference Titles You Must Know

NAESA's required-reference list gives nine titles. These are issuer-required references used as preparation topics. They are not nine officially weighted exam domains, and no official percentage allocation or "highest-weight" topic has been published, so treat them as an unweighted reading list rather than a blueprint. Our complete guide to the nine QEI content areas walks through each in detail.

Canadian candidates have separately listed alternative references: B355-2019 (R2024), CAN/CSA-Z185:23, and CSA C22.1-2024. Candidates outside the U.S. should check NAESA's current list to see which set applies to them.

How the Online Open-Book Exam Works

The QEI examination is delivered online and proctored. It consists of 160 multiple-choice code questions, plus 6 demographic questions that are not counted among the 160. Candidates have an 8-hour exam allowance and a required 30-minute break. The issuer's materials do not make clear whether that break falls inside or outside the 8-hour window, so confirm with NAESA before exam day rather than assuming.

Practical consequences of the format

Because other programs cannot run on the exam laptop, your PDF references have to live on a different device. Many candidates find hardcopy references faster to flip through, which is why the issuer recommends them. Tab, highlight, and annotate your books ahead of time, within whatever rules NAESA's handbook sets, and confirm those rules directly because the current applicant handbook was not retrievable for this review.

Open-book does not mean easy. With 160 questions and a code-heavy scope, the limiting factor is speed and accuracy in locating the controlling rule. Our piece on how hard the QEI exam is discusses what that means for preparation, and the passing score article covers what is and is not known about scoring. NAESA's retrieved materials did not state an official passing threshold or a cohort pass rate, so be wary of any site quoting one with confidence. See also what the pass-rate data shows.

Getting Approved Before You Can Sit

You cannot simply buy a seat. NAESA must approve your documented education or training and your elevator experience against ASME QEI-1 and its application requirements before an exam can be scheduled. The optional four-day review course does not substitute for eligibility; completing the course without approved qualifications does not qualify you to test.

The detailed eligibility routes in older application versions are not reproduced here, because the current linked Inspector Applicant Handbook (September 2024) could not be retrieved for this review. Confirm the present pathways directly with NAESA, and see our QEI requirements guide for how to approach the qualification question.

1. Review the current NAESA application and ASME QEI-1 requirements.
2. Document your education, training, and elevator experience.
3. Submit your application and wait for NAESA approval.
4. Once approved, choose an exam-only sitting or the training-plus-exam option.
5. Obtain the required codebooks and arrange proctors if testing independently.

For timing, our exam dates and scheduling guide covers how sittings are organized.

Fees and Renewal Mechanics

The membership question

NAESA's certification page includes membership after passing the initial $500 examination, while its FAQ describes membership as an additional cost. That conflict was not resolved in the issuer's published materials, so ask NAESA directly before you pay. The certification page explicitly excludes membership from the $400 retake. For the full cost picture, including what the codebooks add up to, read our QEI certification cost breakdown.

Renewal

The credential is renewed annually. You need 10 approved educational hours (1.0 CEU), completion of the online Maintenance of Qualifications survey, and the renewal fee noted above. Expiration dates fall on June 30 or December 31, so track which applies to you. Renewal is administered through NAESA's recertification process, and members pay less than nonmembers, which factors into the membership decision.

Who Hires Qualified Elevator Inspectors

Demand for qualified inspectors comes from several directions. Jurisdictions and authorities that regulate conveyances need inspectors who meet recognized qualification standards. Third-party inspection firms staff their inspection teams with credentialed people. Building owners, insurers, and consultants may also seek inspectors for independent assessments. In each case the credential serves as evidence that the individual has been vetted against the ASME QEI-1 qualification framework.

Specific salary figures are intentionally not quoted here, because no verified figures are available for this credential in the sources reviewed. Pay depends on region, employer type, and experience. Our salary guide and QEI jobs overview discuss the employment landscape qualitatively.

Sequencing Your Preparation

Since the nine references are unweighted, sequence them by dependency rather than by guessed exam weight. Start with the codes that everything else leans on, then move to the specialized and supporting references. Our QEI study guide expands on this, and the cheat sheet is useful for last-pass review.

Once you have the references organized, test yourself on realistic scenarios using the QEI practice test site, and revisit our main practice questions as your exam date approaches.

Frequently Asked Questions